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Too hot? Throw That Hair Up!

Posted by pittsburghcurly on June 15, 2009

I admit it. I’m a wimp in hot weather. Any day that is 85 or over where it is even moderately sticky makes me miserable. My pasty butt loves fall!

Oftentimes in the summer, I don’t like wearing my hair down all the time. My neck gets sweaty, and the weight and bulk of my hair just feels all-around uncomfortable. When i start feeling like this, I resort to updos. Yes, there are times when I feel lazy and I just resort to the standard curl updo of a messy ponytail or a loose messy bun. It works. It’s easy. It keeps your hair out of the way.

But, hey, we all get bored. We want a different look. We want to go out and look decent but still have the hair up.

There are many updo tutorials out there on Youtube. Some of them help, and some are baffling. Many seem to be done on straight hair that is super long. Well, my hair isn’t straight, and, in it’s natural state, ranges from armpit length to brastrap length. Not short, but hardly super long either.

I came across the book Strictly Curls: A Step-by-Step Guide to Styling Curly Hair by Nicole Siri. It’s a handy book with updos for curly hair. The directions are pretty simple to follow, and the difficulty ranges from super easy to challenging. There is still one style in the book that I just cannot master. Many of the styles are based on making various buns of different sizes in different types of arrangements. I felt something of a “duh” moment after reading it. Of course I can make buns! I never thought of making them in varying sizes or using different placements on my head. The book is spiral bound so you can lie it flat while you are following the directions, and there is an interesting section on accessories in the back of the book.

Here’s one example of an updo done with a few buns and some hair bling. It was easy to do, but looks more complicated than it actually is.

Or, you can do an interesting arrangement with two stacked buns.

One website that I use to get updo ideas is the Dressy Tresses style gallery. Many of those are too much for me, but I also have used some of the easier ones. I really love the Chinese Bun. It’s interesting and easy to do. If you are feeling adventurous, and have long enough hair to pull it off, there is a braided version of it also. But, be aware that how these updos look on straight haired mannequins or on straight haired people in tutorials. The styles will often look quite different on your texture.

For example, here is a Chinese Bun on first day curls.

Here is the same style on looser, 2nd day curls.

And that same style on hair that is blown straight.

So, don’t feel as if you have to obtain the same look as you see on the straight haired model. There’s nothing at all wrong with showing your natural texture in your updos.

Hopefully this will give you a few ideas to add something besides a messy ponytail to your updo arsenal.

pittsburghcurlysaid

I do harp on that book all the time, lol. I think it’s an underutilized resource. It helps that it’s written by someone who works with curlies. After reading it, there were some moments when I wondered why I didn’t think of any of these styles myself!